Battle of Xiangyang

The Battle of Xiangyang was a failed attempt by the Sun Family to capture the castle town of Xiangyang from the army of warlord Liu Biao, resulting in the death of Sun Jian in battle.

Background
After the coalition against Dong Zhuo ended, the warlords returned home, restarting their territorial feuds. While Sun Jian's Jiangdong troops were returning to Yang Province, Jing Province warlord Liu Biao attacked and routed their army, causing war between the two clans. Against the advice of Sun Jing, Sun Jian invaded Jing Province with his army.

Battle
Sun Jian's advisor Zhu Zhi noted that the Wu army was spread thinly when it was deployed, which could have contributed to the victory over his army that day. Liu Biao was all settled in Xiangyang while his forces arrived on all sides of Sun Jian's army, and could withstand a long-term siege if neccessary. The battle initially went well for Sun Jian's troops, with Sun Jian shooting an arrow in Chen Sheng's face and Zhang Hu being smote by Han Dang after being distracted by the incident. However, the tide of battle turned when Lu Gong lured Sun Jian to Xiangyang Castle, where he was ambushed and hit by seven arrows in the back, killing him and enraging the Jiangdong army. Soon, forces from Yuan Shao arrived in support of Liu Biao, with Yan Liang leading a reinforcement army to assist. Sun Ce managed to defeat all encroaching forces before he retreated.